In telecommunications, the final drop from the local telephone exchange to a subscriber's terminal or private exchange is known as the “local loop”. Conventionally, this final drop includes a network of copper-pair lines, which are expensive to install and to maintain. In sparsely populated areas with low telephone penetration, this approach is impracticable. Wireless Local Loop (WLL) is a recent alternative to the copper-line network.
In WLL, a wireless system makes up all or part of the transmission path between the subscriber and the local exchange, and typically uses microwave, cordless or cellular technologies. Thus, the wireless system in WLL is particularly suitable for reducing the cost of the local loop in remote or rural areas. However, in contrast to mobile telecommunications, fixed wireless terminals are fixed and do not act as mobile terminals.
Typically, such a fixed wireless terminal (or WLL terminal) includes a transceiver including an RF section for receiving and transmitting RF signals and a baseband section for converting between RF and baseband signals for interfacing with a subscriber device; an interface for connecting the subscriber device to the fixed wireless terminal; a subscriber line interface circuit for providing network dependent characteristics such as the tones (e.g., ringing, dial, busy signal, etc.) which, in a fixed network, are conventionally provided by the local exchange; an external power supply; and an antenna. The subscriber device typically includes a telephone and/or a fax machine.
A broadcast radio receiving device, such as an AM/FM/TV radio or television set, typically includes an antenna and a receiver for receiving an AM/FM/TV or television signal. However, conventional broadcast radio receiving devices are configured to be manually tuned to receive the signal and manually adjusted to vary audio and/or video levels.